Up to 7/18
Responses to two quotes from BAsics
1. “Even though some Americans think they themselves are superior and treat people in other countries, including immigrants, as second-class people, that’s wrong. Because America oppresses other countries, people there have no way to survive except to come here to find jobs. I think everyone’s life is precious and everybody should be equal, and there should not be someone’s life being more important than others’… In Mexico, the country where I came from, people have no work in the fields and they’re forced to go to the cities. But they cannot find jobs in the cities. That’s why they risk their lives to cross the borders. I fully agree that the whole world should come first – that’s a very good orientation. Only 1% of the American people are rich and they control everything, even other countries. I used to have dreams when I first came here, but after my son was killed, I’ve lost my dreams…. Revolution here? Yes…but there needs to be revolution in Mexico, too.”
–a middle-aged unemployed Mexican immigrant worker whose son was murdered by police a few years ago
2. ”It’s really wrong for the U.S.to oppress other countries for the sake of making money. It’s really wrong for the U.S. to wage wars to dominate other countries. They do air-strikes and kill people. U.S. rulers are the real terrorists!”
–a black man in his 50’s who attended a meeting
in the ‘hood about the BAsics bus tour to NYC
3. “People need jobs but the government has not provided that. Instead, wars and wars have been waged on other countries. We need to do something – we need revolution. But we cannot let leaders get killed like what happened to Malcolm X, Fred Hampton, and MLK.”
– Black woman in her 40’s met inside a laundry mat
4. “I absolutely agree with these quotes. I’m against ‘my country first’ mentality. It’s a class and social problem we are dealing with. Some people would say that their class is first and their country comes first, but poor people have nothing and so they have nothing to say about being first or better. For poor people, yes, the whole world should come first.”
–Black woman in her 30’s met in a pizza joint
5. “I agree with the quotes and I think we have to educate people and children about how the system works in oppression, like how the police murder people and how they carry out the ‘Stop and frisk”. We also need to educate people on how the system carries out wars against other countries in order for the US to be number one. I really think every person’s life should be equal.”
–Black woman in her 40’s met at Walmart
6. “I like these quotes. The President says ‘God bless America and nowhere else.’ That’s selfish! The U.S. does many, many bad things to people of other countries. Like wars. The U.S. does these to keep its power over others. No more of this.”
–Middle-aged Black man met at Walmart
7. “America is the real terrorist. America hits you with a bat and then gives you some crumbs.”
–immigrant in his 30’s met at Walmart
8. “The American-trained troops killed my grandfather in a village of 3200 people, in my country. Then after they burned his corpse, they hanged it on the tree.”
– a young man from Central America
